Looking back on this year, we knew it was going to be a busy one from the outset. But we didn’t imagine that taking on many of its games would leave us with so many great moments and memories, while a couple of them put a new layer of visual fidelity on some old ones.
2025 has been very kind to single-player games, and we have challenged ourselves to bring you the best ones among them despite how tough it’s been to pick favorites.
But here we are, and the nominees for the best single player game of 2025 are:
1. Metal Gear Solid: Delta Snake Eater
Konami’s remake of Naked Snake’s first mission and the story that shaped the rest of his life has been a solid blend of current-gen graphics, quality of life tweaks, and a perfect recreation of the original experience for those looking for it.
Of course, its attempt to bring the game to a new generation of players saw it make additions that did have minor flaws, even trivializing a few major fights, but for the most part, this is an experience worth checking out if you’re thinking about diving into Metal Gear Solid.
2. Silent Hill f
Hinako’s story might seem puzzling the first time you play through it, but the experience is more than enough to keep you going. Konami and NeoBards did well to bring out the former’s vision of a truly Japanese horror experience while managing to retain the Silent Hill franchise’s flavor.
With a solid combat system, and layer upon layer of psychological horror to peel back over subsequent playthroughs, Silent Hill f is a welcome return to the spotlight for the iconic horror franchise. It belongs here, and more than earns its place among this year’s greats.
3. Clair Obscur
Oh, Sandfall. The studio’s pilot project had us sold on its story thanks to a very poignant, hard-hitting prologue but kept us coming back through its gameplay loop. It blended a sense of discovery with the thrill of a combat system that was both satisfying to watch while being challenging to master.
With a voice cast that breathed a distinct personality to each of its memorable cast of characters, and a world that remains among the most unique ones we’ve visited over the years, we can’t get its best moments out of our heads but smile fondly at the journey it took to get there.
4. Dying Light: The Beast
Kyle Crane’s newfound powers and the formidable opponent he now found himself pitted against in the Castor Woods made this one an adventure that was Dying Light at its finest. With the Infected on the loose, Volatiles that were at their most vicious prowling the night, great combat and some innovative additions, The Beast was a fantastic entertainer.
It helped that the story and world were so well-blended together that exploring it all was a great way to soak in everything that the Castor Woods had to offer while constantly learning about what had happened while Kyle was away. This is a game that rewards diligent exploring, and does so with so much style that it was bound to be here.
5. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
This sequel to the original game built on everything that was good about it while expanding well enough to stand out on its own. A more expansive map, a light tone that brought wit, charm, and some delightfully droll humor into the mix, it was easy to get lost in it all, and a pleasure to do so.
Deliverance 2 is a game that comes along every once in a while, and leaves you craving for more of it once you’re done. This one can have you hooked sooner than you’d think.
6. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Another ambitious sequel that built upon its original game quite well, Silksong brought Hornet to the center stage for an action-packed, well-crafted game that took the gaming world by storm and overshadowed any competition unfortunate enough to share its release window.
That hype was well-earned, though, and this one was an almost sublime balance of challenge and reward, bringing a very immersive world filled with enemies to take on and platforming challenges to navigate. Simple yet stylish, this one definitely deserves credit for being a sequel that hits harder on every front.
7. Donkey Kong Bonanza
When the classic character made its way to the Switch 2’s lineup, we were obviously stoked to see if the game would be worth it. And wow, were we delighted to find that it was just so much fun to play.
From Bonanza’s visuals to its gameplay, this was an experience that controlled the chaos it encouraged its players to inflict just about enough to make embracing it all and just going along become an activity that had us constantly picking up the new handheld. This is Donkey Kong as it should be, and a fine take on the iconic character.
8. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Unlike Sam Porter in the early moments of the main campaign, we were more than happy to return to Death Stranding’s latest world, and what a world it is. Exploring Mexico and Australia in Kojima’s deliciously well-crafted take on his exploration of legacy was an experience that often has you staring slack-jawed at your screen.
As a single player game, this one can have you investing many hours tracking down every detail Kojima has squirreled away in its sprawling map.
9. Mafia: The Old Country
Going back to the roots in Sicily made for an experience that’s the best of Mafia with a layer of polish that made this a great story to witness. If you’re a fan of the franchise’s explosive set pieces and authentic takes on the periods its adventures are set in, this one is going to have you grinning.
It’s a solid game with a brilliant story, and the Sicilian countryside is a beautiful place to spend a few hours in any way.
10. Ghost of Yotei
As one of two solid takes on ancient Japan, Sucker Punch’s new addition to the Ghost franchise was a solid iteration of everything that made it great while adding flourishes that took the franchise in new directions.
It’s quite hard to stay focused on your quest for revenge when there are so many different things to do, and a whole frontier to engage with. Of course, smaller stories that explore some truly complex themes on war and conflict exist, and one of them is a masterpiece in horror. And of course, there’s homage to everything that put the studio on the map too.
Ghost of Yotei is a game where you play the main story missions in any given area last, and that is probably its biggest strength.
11. Hades 2
Melinoe’s journey through the Underworld and beyond is a lot of fun and a very fun story thanks to its punchy art style, interesting level design, and a roguelike gameplay loop that ties all of its systems together. With excellent graphics, this is a game that comes with a lot of charm. We’re not going to forget the enemies coming at us with rock music anytime soon, after all.
12. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
The Japanese chapter of the Assassin brotherhood has managed to stay among this year’s finest single-player titles thanks to Naoe’s unique brand of stealth, Yasuke’s natural penchant for chaotic combat, and a roadmap of content that has sustained interest in the game since its March 2025 release.
Thrown in a visually resplendent open world and a polished take on RPG mechanics and you have a game with so much to do and so many ways to do it that you might want to clear your calendars for a few days to just experience a significant portion of it.
13. DOOM: The Dark Ages
Although id Software took the Slayer back in time, the changes it brought to this one’s combat loop made this a very entertaining shooter. The Slayer’s latest entry was one that came with the usual bombastic action, memorable gun play, and action-packed mechanics. If you’re looking to kick back and take on hordes of enemies with a variety of cool weapons, look no further than The Dark Ages. The Slayer is ever at the ready, waiting to be unleashed on the hordes of enemies, after all..
14. The Elder Scrolls IV: Remastered
Among the most pleasant surprises we received this year was the chance to see Cyrodiil in a whole new avatar. This blast from the past is the original experience reworked into a current-gen entertainer that continues to stay relevant and a powerhouse in single player fun.
The nostalgia factor alone was enough to earn our goodwill, but this remaster does a lot of things right to make it all feel fresh, and is definitely worth checking out.
15. The First Berserker: Khazan
Khazan’s rage-fuelled adventure and his conflict with his rather unwelcome guest is a great game, giving you a unique art style that serves its action and discovery-oriented gameplay loop quite well. Of course, its brutal difficulty and deep combat system are the stars of the show but we found the story quite interesting too.
It was a great look at the early chapters of the Dungeons & Fighter universe and a title that had us losing sleep as we threw ourselves at the boss blocking our path to progress.
16. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Samus Aran’s adventure on Viewros is a great addition to 2025’s illustrious ranks, blending a solid setting with a very entertaining gameplay loop that could have you lost in its world. From its puzzles to the combat, this is a game at its finest, the 18 years between this one and its predecessor being a long wait but a worthy one.
We’re especially fond of how the newly introduced psychic powers constantly had us thinking about ways to use them creatively. For a single-player experience that does it all and does it well, this is a great choice.
17. Where Winds Meet
Everstone’s ambitious wuxia-based open world action RPG deserves a mention thanks to its outstanding take on ancient China. This is a game that truly sets its players free to explore and enjoy its world in any way that they’d like, bringing a degree of freedom that makes it very hard to put down.
If your natural curiosity leads you to investigate every inch of a sprawling map, you can’t do much better than Where Winds Meet. We’re going to be watching this one’s progress quite closely in the months to follow.
While each of these games did something special to stand out, there can only be one winner. And thankfully, that’s been the easiest part of this task.
The winner of 2025’s best single-player game is..
DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Sam’s latest adventure raises the bar for the franchise, and open-worlds, in general while Kojima’s ability to weave his themes into the very threads of the worlds he develops continues to dazzle.
On the Beach stands out as a sequel and on its own, making for a game that constantly has you marvelling at the wonders it presents, while its visuals draw you in thanks to how realistic everything looks. The Decima engine really shows off its chops in this one, as does a studio that pulled out all the stops to give us a game that takes the crown for the year’s finest work with ease.
It’s now time to look forward to 2026, and see what the year has waiting in store for us.
